Jeff Reed is one of the most visible Steelers when it comes to sporting events in Pittsburgh.

The veteran kicker experienced the downside of that Wednesday when he said he "caught some heat" from fans at the Penguins game he attended with his sister.

Reed already has missed four field goals this season, including two in the Steelers' 17-14 loss to the Ravens on Oct. 3. On two of those misses, however, Reed's kicks hit an upright.

The only kick, Reed said, he didn't hit the way he wanted to was the 45-yarder that he pulled against the Ravens.

"I've missed kicks before, and I've come back strong," Reed said. "I know how to do this job, or I wouldn't be here."

Reed said his early misses have nothing to do with the unhappiness he voiced over his contract situation during training camp.

Reed said at the time that the Steelers didn't negotiate with him in good faith on a long-term deal.

"Everyone's thinking that I'm sandbagging, but that's not the case at all," said Reed, who signed a one-year, $2.81 million contract in July. "There's one thing I can't stand and that's not being perfect and losing."

Sanders snags playing time

Emmanuel Sanders will serve as the Steelers' No. 4 wide receiver and primary kickoff returner Sunday against the visiting Browns.

Sanders and fellow rookie Antonio Brown have been battling for that role on a weekly basis. Sanders has the upper hand for now, as Brown, barring injury, won't dress Sunday.

The Browns game will be Sanders' first since the season opener Sept. 12. The third-round draft pick has battled quadriceps injuries in both legs but said Thursday that he's as healthy as he has been all season.

"The Atlanta game, I probably played at 80 percent, so I'm really excited to play in this upcoming game at 100 percent," Sanders said.

The loud clang carried throughout the arena, followed by groans from the home fans. Marc-Andre Fleury allowed another goal go in off the post.

One guy sitting in the stands watching the Penguins lose, 4-3, to Toronto Wednesday night knew the feeling. He has seen a couple hit the post, too, only Jeff Reed's field-goal tries bounced the other way and neither was good, including one in a three-point Steelers loss to Baltimore.

Oh, to be Fleury and Reed in Pittsburgh these days. They hear the scorn of fans for teams with high expectations. Fleury ranks 42nd among goalies in the 30-team NHL with a save percentage of .853 after four games. Reed is in a tie at the bottom of 33 kickers in the 32-team NFL with a field-goal percentage of .666 after four games.

"In a perfect world, he'd make every save and I'd make every kick and every kickoff would be a touchback," Reed said Thursday. "And then nobody could say a thing. Even then somebody's not going to be happy. It's like the president; you can't please everybody."

Both players have strong resumes in Pittsburgh. Reed has the highest field-goal success percentage in the NFL over the past three seasons. He also has two Super Bowl rings. Fleury helped the Penguins reach the Stanley Cup finals two consecutive years, winning it in 2009. He also owns a gold medal as a backup goalie for Canada's Olympic team.

They are among the most visible players for success/failure on their teams. Fleury either makes the save or he does not; Reed either makes the kick or he does not.

Sitting in the stands Wednesday night at Consol Energy Center with his sister, Reed could feel the fans' wrath for both of them. He heard the obvious discontent Penguins fans had for Fleury. And some of those fans were not bashful in telling Reed how they feel about him missing four of his 12 field-goal tries this season.

"I caught some heat," Reed said, then explained. "A lot of them say stuff like, 'What's wrong with you, man? You've already missed four.' It's sad but I'm used to it. If you have a great game, people tell you that, too. You're only as good as your last kick and that's always my philosophy, and some of the fans let you know, but there's also a lot that are real complimentary."

His last kick sailed wide left from 45 yards, his next-to-last kick bounced off the right post from 49 yards. Both misses came Oct. 3 in a 17-14 loss to Baltimore. It's only the sixth time in his career he has missed two in a game over nine seasons, but it has happened twice this season. His other misses? From 55 yards off the upright and from 40 yards, both in the opening overtime victory against Atlanta when he was 3 of 5 and made a 52-yarder, longest ever in Heinz Field.

Reed carried an .833 field-goal success rate into this season. He made 15 of 16 last season (.937) and 27 of 31 in 2008 (.871) and then was 5 for 5 in the postseason, including two in the team's Super Bowl victory.

By most measures, Reed is a phenomenal success, especially kicking outside on a grass home field in a Northern climate and in a Northern division with four outdoor stadiums. He has been criticized in the past for poor kickoffs, but those have improved this season after new special teams coach Al Everest worked with him.

Perhaps with Reed it has been the additional off-field stuff, minor things such as banging around a towel dispenser at a gas station and getting into an argument with police while they were arresting teammate Matt Spaeth for public urination.

There also were his complaints in camp over his inability to negotiate a long-term contract with the Steelers, who signed him to a one-year deal as their franchise player, paying him $2,184,000 this season.

Reed maintains he missed only one of the four kicks because of a mechanical error, when his plant foot was too far behind the ball on a 45-yard attempt that hooked wide.

"I'm doing the same thing," Reed said. "You can blame anything you want on it, whether it was something that happened off the field a year or two years ago or something I said in training camp.

"You can blame it on whatever you want to, but I know how to do this job or I wouldn't be here. And I wouldn't be here for nine years, I'll tell you that because this is a tough place to kick."

Tough, physically, because of the weather and winds at Heinz and, sometimes tough, mentally, as it also can be for the local pro goaltender.

"Obviously, it's a total different skill, but I think kickers and goalies are kind of in the same boat when it comes to that," Reed said. "You look at his stats, yeah, they had 14 shots and scored four goals for Toronto. ... I know him personally, so I would say it's not going to affect him at all.

"He and I both lay our soul on the line. You're getting paid a lot of money to do something, but you're doing what you love to do, and you don't want to lose that.

"I've heard people in the stands giving him trouble. I put things in perspective. I'm sure he's been at a football game or two and I've missed a kick and he's heard what people say. It's the camaraderie we all have.

"It just so happens in our positions people say, 'How come you don't stop that or how can you not make the kick?' That's the life we live, both of us."

For more on the Steelers, read the blog, Ed Bouchette On the Steelers at http://www.post-

Reed can catch heat from the fans somewhere else next year. I pretty much over his act.

Pay me like the best kicker in football but let me miss hard FGs and not give my poor psyche any grief. The best kicker in football makes hard kicks...at least one out of two.

stlrz d

10-15-2010, 12:03 PM

He's probably catching that heat from the same "sky is falling" fans who are crying about the Pens season being over after 4 games.

:lol:

I'm sure Reed's been in the league long enough to know fans are dumb.

RuthlessBurgher

10-15-2010, 12:21 PM

Reed said his early misses have nothing to do with the unhappiness he voiced over his contract situation during training camp.

Reed said at the time that the Steelers didn't negotiate with him in good faith on a long-term deal.

"Everyone's thinking that I'm sandbagging, but that's not the case at all," said Reed, who signed a one-year, $2.81 million contract in July. "There's one thing I can't stand and that's not being perfect and losing."

Who the hell seriously thinks he's sandbagging? That would just be moronically stupid. Dude is in a contract year, and wants to get paid in the off-season (whether it is with the Steelers or elsewhere). How would missing kicks on purpose help his situation whatsoever? Such a thought is mindblowingly dumb.

Oviedo

10-15-2010, 12:54 PM

Reed said his early misses have nothing to do with the unhappiness he voiced over his contract situation during training camp.

Reed said at the time that the Steelers didn't negotiate with him in good faith on a long-term deal.

"Everyone's thinking that I'm sandbagging, but that's not the case at all," said Reed, who signed a one-year, $2.81 million contract in July. "There's one thing I can't stand and that's not being perfect and losing."

Who the hell seriously thinks he's sandbagging? That would just be moronically stupid. Dude is in a contract year, and wants to get paid in the off-season (whether it is with the Steelers or elsewhere). How would missing kicks on purpose help his situation whatsoever? Such a thought is mindblowingly dumb.

Reed has Terry Bradshaw disease...diarrhea of the mouth Just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

He probably caught it from Hines Ward.

ikestops85

10-15-2010, 01:26 PM

Reed said his early misses have nothing to do with the unhappiness he voiced over his contract situation during training camp.

Reed said at the time that the Steelers didn't negotiate with him in good faith on a long-term deal.

"Everyone's thinking that I'm sandbagging, but that's not the case at all," said Reed, who signed a one-year, $2.81 million contract in July. "There's one thing I can't stand and that's not being perfect and losing."

Who the hell seriously thinks he's sandbagging? That would just be moronically stupid. Dude is in a contract year, and wants to get paid in the off-season (whether it is with the Steelers or elsewhere). How would missing kicks on purpose help his situation whatsoever? Such a thought is mindblowingly dumb.

Reed has Terry Bradshaw disease...diarrhea of the mouth Just doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.

He probably caught it from Hines Ward.

Crash --- is that you? :D

fordfixer

10-15-2010, 02:29 PM

Is Reed divorced also?

hawaiiansteel

10-15-2010, 02:35 PM

I'm sure Reed's been in the league long enough to know fans are dumb.

and I've been around long enough to know Reed is a moron...he should keep his mouth shut and start making clutch FGs if he wants to be paid more.

I suppose he should be held to a higher standard, right? Not much I've heard publicized about Reed that millions of other guys his age haven't done too.

As for the sandbagging thing, I've actually seen people put forth that he is missing FGs on purpose because he didn't get a big contract. I wouldn't be shocked if some dumb yinzers at the Pens game weren't yelling that at him.

hawaiiansteel

10-15-2010, 02:59 PM

I suppose he should be held to a higher standard, right?

Reed and his agent whined all preseason about wanting to be one of the highest paid kickers in the NFL. if you're gonna talk the talk then walk the walk, if you want that kind of money then yes, you will be held to that higher standard.

I suppose he should be held to a higher standard, right? Not much I've heard publicized about Reed that millions of other guys his age haven't done too.

As for the sandbagging thing, I've actually seen people put forth that he is missing FGs on purpose because he didn't get a big contract. I wouldn't be shocked if some dumb yinzers at the Pens game weren't yelling that at him.[/quote:2qauc7n7]

I find it funny how you and a certain other guy keep calling the Pittsburgh natives dumb.

I bet you guys don't call them dumb when you go to Heinz field.

The only thing dumb is typing higher standard under that photo.

hawaiiansteel

10-15-2010, 03:05 PM

I suppose he should be held to a higher standard, right? Not much I've heard publicized about Reed that millions of other guys his age haven't done too.

and were those millions of other guys representing the Pittsburgh Steelers?

feltdizz

10-15-2010, 03:15 PM

any kicker who misses FG's early after asking to be the highest paid kicker in the league will catch heat.

I read how Reed and Fluery are friends and feeling it from the fans... when you play below their expectations and below your talent level you will hear it.

I suppose he should be held to a higher standard, right? Not much I've heard publicized about Reed that millions of other guys his age haven't done too.

Yeah...when I saw this picture, it reminded me of the last time I was wearing a tiara and a baby bib that had "I love dick" plastered on it. Holy crap was that embarrassing. :lol:

last time? I'm wearing one now! :tt2

:wft

stlrz d

10-15-2010, 05:40 PM

I suppose he should be held to a higher standard, right? Not much I've heard publicized about Reed that millions of other guys his age haven't done too.

and were those millions of other guys representing the Pittsburgh Steelers?

I don't give a fsck who they were representing. These guys (no matter what team they play for) are still young guys with a $hitload of money. When are people going to realize that the Steelers are like any other NFL team? Steelers players have been causing problems and running afoul of the law since the start of the franchise. The Steelers franchise does not operate at a higher moral standard. The sooner you get that out of your head the sooner you'll not let insignificant $hit get you all bent out of shape.

Anyone who holds them to a higher standard is simply jealous they can't do the things these guys do.

And felt, I'd call you a stupid fscking yinzer right to your stupid fscking yinzer face. Because that's exactly what you are.

feltdizz

10-15-2010, 07:40 PM

[quote="stlrz d":20bp3726]
I suppose he should be held to a higher standard, right? Not much I've heard publicized about Reed that millions of other guys his age haven't done too.

and were those millions of other guys representing the Pittsburgh Steelers?

I don't give a fsck who they were representing. These guys (no matter what team they play for) are still young guys with a $hitload of money. When are people going to realize that the Steelers are like any other NFL team? Steelers players have been causing problems and running afoul of the law since the start of the franchise. The Steelers franchise does not operate at a higher moral standard. The sooner you get that out of your head the sooner you'll not let insignificant $hit get you all bent out of shape.

Anyone who holds them to a higher standard is simply jealous they can't do the things these guys do.

And felt, I'd call you a stupid fscking yinzer right to your stupid fscking yinzer face. Because that's exactly what you are.[/quote:20bp3726]

...and you would have a yinzer souvenir for the plane ride home.

Just because you are the only one to admit wearing an I love D!ck bib it's no reason to make empty threats.